Elastic Shoe Lace with Fastener

ABSTRACT

The invention includes elastic shoe laces, as well as a means for fastening the shoe laces together after they&#39;ve been laced into the footwear. In one preferred embodiment, an elastic shoe lace is provided, including a button on one end of the lace, and a slit or button hole on other end of the shoe lace. An additional ornamental element may be attached to the shoe lace, or in some embodiments, the button may act as both the fastener and the ornamental element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to shoe laces. In particular,elastic shoe laces that, once affixed to a shoe or other footwear, allowa wearer to don and remove shoe without requiring the wearer torepeatedly tie and untie the laces.

2. Description of the Related Art

Shoe laces, which are also called shoe-strings, shoelaces, or bootlaces, are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots and otherfootwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one foreach shoe, finished off at both ends with stiff sections, known asaglets. Each shoe lace typically passes through a series of holes,eyelets, loops or hooks on either side of the shoe. Loosening the shoelace allows the shoe to open wide enough for the foot to be easilyinserted or removed. Tightening the lace and tying off the ends securesthe shoe on the foot.

Traditional shoe laces were made of leather, cotton, jute, hemp, orother materials used in the manufacture of rope. Modern shoe laces oftenincorporate various synthetic fibers, which are generally more slipperyand thus more prone to coming undone than those made from traditionalfibers. On the other hand, smooth synthetic shoe laces generally have asmoother appearance, suffer less wear from friction, and are lesssusceptible to rotting from moisture. The stiff section at each end ofthe shoe lace, that keeps the fibers from unraveling and also makes iteasier to hold the lace and feed it through the eyelets, is called anaglet.

There are also various elasticized shoe laces. Elastic, a term forcertain kinds of elastomers and stretchable fabrics, includes varioustypes. Traditional “elastic” laces look identical to normal laces, andcan simply be tied and untied as normal. They may also come with apermanent clip so they can be fastened invisibly, “Knotty” laces have aseries of “fat” sections, which restrict movement through eyelets. Thesecan be used to adjust tension throughout the lacing area. The laces canbe tied or the ends can be left loose. ‘Twirly’ laces can be a tightelastic helix, which can simply be pulled tight without requiring aknot.

Elastic shoe laces make both the lacing more comfortable to wear as wellas allow the shoe to be slipped on and off without tying or untying,which makes elastic laces a popular choice for children, the elderly andathletes.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,548 to Jackson describes an elastic shoe lace andfastener. This reference describes a somewhat complex system forsecuring the ends of the shoe lace involving a dual cord fasteneradapted to allow the shoe lace ends to pass through the fastener and tolock two prescribed points on the length of the shoe lace to preventrelative movement.

What has been lacking in this field is an aesthetically pleasing shoelace that combines the functional convenience of an elastic shoe lace,with a convenient fastening mechanism. Further, this configurationeasily lends itself to adding one or more ornamental elements to one orboth ends of the laces.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to addressing the limitations of the priorart discussed above. In particular, the invention includes elastic shoelaces, as well as a means for fastening the laces together after they'vebeen laced into the footwear. In one preferred embodiment, an elasticshoe lace is provided, including a slit or button hole on one end of thelace, preferably along the longitudinal axis of the lace. The buttonhole should be appropriately sized to accommodate a button that isattached to the other side of the lace. The slit/button hole end of thelace is threaded through the eyelets of a shoe/boot, and the button issubsequently pushed through the slit/button hole. The shoe may then beput on and taken off more easily, without damaging the shoe, and withouthaving to tie/untie the lace. The button can also be used forornamentation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a shoe outfitted with an elastic shoe laceand attached bow ornamentation.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a shoe outfitted with an elastic shoelace and attached bow ornamentation.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of an elastic shoe lace with a bow asornamentation.

FIG. 4 shows a rear view of an elastic shoe lace with a button andbutton hole to secure the laces.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of a shoe outfitted with an elastic shoe laceand attached button ornamentation.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a shoe outfitted with an elastic shoelace and attached button ornamentation.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of an elastic shoe lace with button and buttonhole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show front and side views, respectively, of a shoe 10outfitted with an elastic shoe lace 12 and attached bow tie 18ornamentation. The figures show a shoe laced using a straight lacingstyle that eliminates the underlying diagonals, which may also relievepressure on the top ridge of the foot.

Straight lacing is preferably used on shoes with an even number ofeyelet pairs (e.g. 8 pairs=16 eyelets). This is because the lace mustcross the shoe an even number of times so that the ends will meet andcan be secured together. On shoes with an odd number of eyelet pairs(e.g. 7 pairs=14 eyelets), the lace ends finish diagonally opposite eachother at the top of the shoe.

It should be noted that this invention can be utilized using a largevariety of lacing techniques (not shown), and is not limited to thestyle shown in the drawings.

The bow 18 can be secured in a variety of ways, including via the use ofa button 20 and button hole 14. For a better view of these elements, seeFIGS. 3 and 4. Other fasteners include (in any size, shape, and color),snaps, eyehooks, VELCRO, glue, ties (e.g. lace, ribbon, or any othertextiles), and even a safety pin.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of an elastic shoe lace 12 with a bow 18 asornamentation. The shoe lace 12 is depicted with its longitudinal axisoriented horizontally. The button hole 14 is typically located near theend opposite of the bow 18 or other ornamentation (e.g. button 20), withits longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe shoe lace 12.

In this figure, the bow (or bow tie) 18 is an ornamental element coupledto the lace 12. The aglet 16 is shown located at the end of the secondend of the shoe lace 18 and is typically a small plastic or metal sheathused on each end of the shoe lace. The aglet 16 keeps the fibers of theshoe lace or cord from unraveling, and its firmness and narrow profilemake it easier to hold and easier to feed through the eyelets 22 duringlacing. The shoe lace 12 is made of an elastic material that can expandand contract. One of the advantages of the elastic shoe lace 12 is thatonce the lace is secured on the shoe 10, the wearer can, withoutdamaging the shoe 10, put the shoe on and take the shoe off withouttying and untying the shoe lace due to the elasticity of the shoe lace.

FIG. 4 shows a rear view of an elastic shoe lace 12 with a button 20 andbutton hole 14 to secure the shoe lace 12. Here, the button 20 is afastener attached to the first end of the shoe lace 12. The button 20fastener, in this case, is used to fasten or secure the first and secondends of the shoe lace 12 to each other by pushing the button 20 throughthe button hole 14 after lacing. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and4, the button is located behind the ornamental element (bow 18).

FIGS. 5 and 6 show front and rear views (respectively) of a shoe 10outfitted with an elastic shoe lace 12 and attached button 20ornamentation. In this embodiment, the first fastener is the button 20and the ornamental element. The button 20 can be round, as shown, or inthe alternative, have different shapes and colors depending on thedesired ornamentation. The button 20 could also have different logos,drawings, or other artistic features on their exterior. The buttons 20(and the shoe laces 12) could be made of phosphorescent or other “glowin the dark” material for aesthetic and/or safety reasons.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of an elastic shoe lace 12 with button 20 andbutton hole 14. As in FIGS. 5 and 6, the button 20 is acting as both thefirst fastener and the ornamental element. The button hole 14 is thesecond fastener. As discussed above, alternative embodiments may includefirst and/or second fasteners such as (in any size, shape, and color):snaps; eyehooks; VELCRO; glue; ties (e.g. lace, ribbon, or any othertextiles); and/or a safety pin.

I claim:
 1. An elastic shoe lace, comprising: a. a length; b. a width;c. a longitudinal axis along the length of the shoe lace; d. a firstend; e. a second end; f. a first fastener element located at theapproximate end of the first end; g. a second fastener element locatedat the approximate end of the second end; and h. an ornamental elementcoupled to either the first or second end.
 2. The elastic shoe lace ofclaim 1, wherein the first fastener element comprises a button, and thesecond fastener element comprises a button hole oriented along thelongitudinal axis of the shoe lace.
 3. The elastic shoe lace of claim 1,wherein the first and the second fasteners are snaps.
 4. The elasticshoe lace of claim 1, wherein the first and the second fasteners consistof hook and loop fasteners such as VELCRO.
 5. The elastic shoe lace ofclaim 1, wherein, the first fastener element comprises a safety pin. 6.The elastic shoe lace of claim 1, wherein the first and the secondfasteners comprise lace ties.
 7. The elastic shoe lace of claim 1,wherein the first and the second fasteners comprise ribbon ties.
 8. Theelastic shoe lace of claim 1, wherein the ornamental element comprises abow tie.
 9. The elastic shoe lace of claim 1, wherein the ornamentalelement consists of the first fastener.